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{
    "id": 1340607,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1340607/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 163,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Gatanga, (UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Wakili Edward Muriu",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to respond to Hon. Kaluma's concerns. However, before I come to the point, allow me to recognise again the presence of Saint Theresa Secondary School, which hails from Gatanga Constituency. This is one of the best performing schools in my constituency. I want to assure you that this is a great learning opportunity. They can see their Member of Parliament in action. I am trying to make sure that they are not only well fed, but make sure that as they learn, they will get the books and the suitable classes. I promise them that they will get a cup of tea at 10.00 O'clock, a good lunch and 4.00 O’clock tea. This is because I know basic quality education starts with the stomach. On the concerns of my learned friend, Hon. Kaluma, I want to say this. First, nothing is unconstitutional, and Hon. Kaluma should have confined his argument to opposing or supporting the Motion. Why am I saying that? The first resolution seeks to breathe life into Section 48 and Section 48(a) of the NG-CDF Act. Section 48(a) states: \"The National Government Constituencies Development Fund can extend the 35 per cent which it allocates to bursary.” It can go beyond 35 per cent for purposes of what you call affirmative action and address the socio-economic issues - one of them being the school feeding program. Second, if you read carefully Article 53 - and I think that is why Hon. Kaluma did not invite you to this - it is clear. This is especially Article 53(b) and (c). Article 53(b) says: “Every child has a right to free and compulsory education.” That is Article 53(b). Article 53(c) states: “Every child has a right to basic nutrition.” The point here is very simple. This Motion is trying to breathe life into Article 53 because you find, as I said earlier, we are provided with a huge budget for education - Ksh630 billion - in this financial year. How much money of that goes to cater for nutrition for our children? How do you expect a child to learn when hungry? Finally, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I invite you to Article 27 about discrimination. Article 27 clearly states: “Every person is equal before the law and has a right to equal protection and equal benefit of the law.” Section 2 says: “Equality includes the full equal enjoyment of all fundamental rights.” The point here is very simple. When it comes to the allocation of the school feeding programme and our Budget, we only allocate to what we call Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). We leave out the rest. That is in breach of Article 27. Secondly, when it comes to the application of Section 48 and Section 48A of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund Act of 2015, you find that the NG- CDF Board allocates bursaries to secondary schools, tertiary institutions and universities only. What for? To feed those children. My point is that everybody has a right to be protected. The NG-CDF bursary is supposed to cater from primary school all the way to university so that we do not violate Article 27. Thirdly, this is a moral issue. How do you feed adults and leave out children? Remember that even medical experts have said a child requires food up to the age of 10 years. If you give food to a child above the age of 10, the brain is already stunted. If you are talking about quality education, how can we achieve quality if we do not achieve it at the basic level? That is why Hon. Kaluma's intervention needs to come in as his contribution to this Motion. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
}